Debwa

My husband and I will be visiting the Amalfi Coast for the first time this year. If anyone can help with our tentative itinerary, I'd appreciate it very much!

First of all, I don't want to do a tour group. We like to wonder around and eat and drink when we're on vacation. I've never been part of a tour group? Would it be a better choice than independent travel?

Here's our proposed independent itinerary:
-Fly into Naples from Philadelphia
-3 days in Naples because my sister temporarily resides there. (Hotel recommendations?)
-4 days based in Sorrento with excursions (not sure where to). The a Grand Aminta was recommended for the hotel.
-2 days in Ischia to relax. (Hotel recommendations?)---beach accessible, awesome pool and hot springs preferred
-Return to Naples and fly home

We usually just rent a car when we travel, but I've read that's not a great choice.
What's the best way to get from:
-Naples to Sorrento?
-Sorrento to Ischia?
-Sorrento to other parts of the coast for day trips?
-ischia to Naples?

Am I make any grievous errors here?

Thank you in advance again, community members!

Blueeyedcod

Hotels in Naples -
You don't mention a budget but if the sky is the limit then the Excelsior is where I would stay. If that's not feasible then the Partenope Relais is brand new and beautiful. If you're looking for budget, then Hotel Zara is a good choice.

Sorrento Hotels
Stay in the township. Anywhere outside means you need to rely on shuttle buses which fill up and don't run past 9pm (mostly). The Grand Aminta is too far away from the action and is a shuttle-reliant hotel. Try the Capodimonte or the Bristol - or the Continental.

Ischia - can't help.

TRANSPORT
Naples to Sorrento - train - will cost about 4-5 euro
Sorrento to Ischia - ferry - daily departures
Ischia to Naples - ditto
Sorrento to other parts of the coast - bus and ferries

Debwa

Thank you....especially for the wise advice about Sorrento and shuttles.

raincitygirl

We liked the Hotel Piazza Bellini in the centro storico in Naples. Atmospheric neighbourhood.

In Sorrento we loved the Hotel Mediterraneo which is in Sant'Agnello, so an easy 20 minute walk or yes, a shuttle but it was a lovely place to stay and I"d return in a heartbeat. Beautiful views, a great pool plus a bathing platform on the sea accessed by elevator, drinks and snacks and all the comforts available both poolside and seaside.

Debwa

Thanks, Raincitygirl!

HappyTrvlr

I am a little confused. Do you also plan to visit the Amalfi Coast? Your post title suggests that.

nytraveler

What time of year will you be there? That can have a significant effect on what you want/are able to see and what transport is running.

I would definitely include a day trip to Pompeii and also one to Capri if possible (there is much to see besides Capri town)

And agree you are not actually getting to the AC (Amalfi, Positano, etc) - you're really in the Bay of Naples area.

kybourbon

I would take the shuttle bus (Curreri 10€) from Naples airport to Sorrento upon arrival. Put your Naples stay at the end so you are close to your departure point. It wastes time to stay in Naples twice (getting to/from hotels, etc). The Curreri bus shuttle doesn't go into Naples, but does make a stop or two on the way to Sorrento.

http://www.curreriviaggi.it/eng/autolinee.html

>>>Stay in the township. Anywhere outside means you need to rely on shuttle buses which fill up and don't run past 9pm (mostly). The Grand Aminta is too far away from the action and is a shuttle-reliant hotel.<<<

I don't find that to be the case and prefer to be in the hills above. The Aminita is about a 10 minute ride, if that. It's also on the regular bus line. Most hotel shuttles don't end at 9 and run closer to midnight. The Aminta has fantastic views and nice pool, but there are also a few hotels in town with pools and views (many in town don't have views). Another hotel in the hills with shuttle (no pool) is Il Nido. Here's their shuttle schedules.

http://www.aminta.com/en/how-arrive-sorrento.php

http://ilnido.com/free-shuttle-service

I've also stayed at La Vue D'or. It has a pool, but seemed a bit too far out and not as frequent shuttle schedule. It's great if you have a car.

Blueeyedcod

kybourbon - my point is - the OP has expressed a desire to sightse. Relying on shuttles make this problematic. Hotel shuttles don't run every ten minutes, some need to be booked in advance and if the hotel is busy, then a full shuttle bus is the result - meaning waiting time for the next one - and that can be up to an hour. At the end of a tiring day, waiting for the shuttle back - especially if you've just missed one - is tedious.
Far better to be independent and able to walk to the train station and ferry port when you please and get your own way back to your hotel when you want to.
The Capidomonte (just an example) has the views but is also walking distance to the township and transport links.

aliced

We stayed at the Aminta in Sorrento and it was lovely, but that was the one time we were on a tour so had to get shuttles downtown. Excursions from Sorrento 'musts': Capri, both upper & lower; Positano; Amalfi; Ravello; most definitely Pompeii too. Probably could do Capri on one day, then Positano, Amalfi & Ravello on another, with Pompeii on the next. If you can ferry to these towns, that'd be best; the SITA bus is on its own schedule, but there are worst places to sit out on the curb & wait indefinitely. Chez Black in Positano good spot for lunch. It will be fabulous. We were there in April and roads were quite crowded then, if later in the season, a car could take the fun out of these days. Would you consider private car service or is Uber available?

isabel

I can recommend the Ulisse Deluxe - http://www.ulissedeluxe.com/ It is 15 minutes walk to the train/bus or ferry port in Sorrento. Have stayed there twice and would return. They have a spa with pool attached (but extra fee).

I have also stayed at a small B&B right on the main street called Casa Astarita - http://www.casastarita.com/ - but with the one condition that you insist on NOT getting one of the two back rooms. No pool or view, the 4 front rooms look out onto the main street. Nice family run place.

Consider a day trip during your Naples stay to Pompeii (easy train trip).

While in Sorrento you can do day trips to Capri (via boat) as well as to Positano and Amalfi (via boat and/or bus).

We did a day trip to Ischia and it's an interesting island but not sure it would be any more 'relaxing' than anywhere else in the region. The beaches in town did not look that great - and they were mostly very crowded with families with lots of kids running around. I'm sure elsewhere on the island would be better. We walked from the ferry port (we took the ferry from Sorrento) to the Castle and visited it. Beautiful views from there. But the rest of the town did not impress me as much, and certainly no more than, any of the towns along the Amalfi Coast. The island of Procida looked charming but I have no first hand experience as we didn't stop there.

Debwa

Happytrvlr and others, You are of course, correct. I want to go to the Amalfi Coast, but my sister is in Naples and I'm visiting her. So I was thinking of Sorrento as a base of operations for day trips to the Amalfi Coast, even though all the locations listed are Bay of Naples. I should probably have changed my title.

Debwa

Isabel, Thank you for that input. I want to make sure we have a few days of relaxing time, hence my thought of Ischia. I haven't really heard good things from anyone about Ischia, but I'd like to spend a couple days in there lying by pools or at the beach without trying to "see" things.

Not sure what to do about this...too many options!

WWK

Look at BELLE SYRENE and HOTEL TRAMONTANO in Sorrento, both of which are within walking distance of the old town and port.

ekc

Sorrento is not a good base if you want to see the Amalfi Coast and Capri. It is, however, if you want to see Pompeii and Capri. So it really depends on what you are interested in seeing as day trips.

A friend visited Ischia last fall and really enjoyed relaxing in the thermal baths for a few days.

There is currently no ferry service between Sorrento. It is rumored to start running mid-June, but I wouldn't count on it. So depending on when you are visiting, if you are staying in Sorrento and want to see the Amalfi Coast you may be limited to the SITA or Coast to Coast bus services.

kybourbon

>>>kybourbon - my point is - the OP has expressed a desire to sightse. Relying on shuttles make this problematic. Hotel shuttles don't run every ten minutes, some need to be booked in advanc<<<

I always sightsee too. On multiple trips, I've never had issues with shuttles from the various hotels. Once or twice I've used the local buses and there is always the option of a taxi.

WWK meant the Bellevue Syrene. They have a great terrace for drinks. Even if you aren't staying there, you can have a drink and enjoy their view.

http://www.bellevue.it/

Another in town option might be Antiche Mura. It's has a pool, but the views are more of the nearby mill ruins although a few will have views of the water.

http://www.hotelantichemura.com/en/hotel/